The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped
with modular "plug-and-fight" mission packages. The Navy wants to field a force of 55 LCSs.
Twelve LCSs have been funded through FY2012, and the FY2013-FY2017 Future Years Defense
Plan (FYDP) calls for procuring 16 more, in annual quantities of 4-4-4-2-2.
The Navy's proposed FY2013 budget requests $1,785.0 million in procurement funding for the
four LCSs requested for FY2013. The Navy's proposed budget also requests $102.6 million in
procurement funding for LCS mission modules.
There are two very different LCS designs-one developed by an industry team led by Lockheed,
and another developed by an industry team that was led by General Dynamics. The Lockheed
design is built at the Marinette Marine shipyard at Marinette, WI; the General Dynamics design is
built at the Austal USA shipyard at Mobile, AL. LCSs 1, 3, 5, and so on are Marinette Marinebuilt
ships; LCSs 2, 4, 6, and so on are Austal-built ships.